Methodology of Research in Behavioral Sciences

Catalog description

Statistical and methodological issues in three major psychiatric research themes: clinical psychiatric research (Autumn), neuroimaging research (Winter), and statistical genetics and general statistical modeling (Spring). Autumn series includes: basics of inferential statistics, group comparison, analysis of variance, regression analysis, multivariate analysis, and longitudinal analysis in the context of psychiatric and behavioral research. Also included are conceptual topics such as risk factors, mediation, moderation, and causal inference. Winter series will cover advanced neuroimaging robust preprocessing and analysis methods including static and dynamic brain functional connectivity, diffusion networks, graph theoretical and multimodal network analyses, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy, among others. The Winter series is recommended for students with prior exposure to neuroimaging analysis. Practical examples from recent research within the Department of Psychiatry will be used throughout the course. Prerequisite: Some exposure to statistical methods, either from course work or from participation in research having some behavioral aspects, or consent of instructor. 1 unit for class participation only, 2 units includes weekly assignments, 3 units includes a final project.